Valve



Nov. 28, 1933.

' J. A. WADE l VALVE Filed May 13, 1931 l NH ATTORNEY)` Patented Nov. 28', 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE j l VALVE y Jeptha A.'Wade, Maplewiood, N. J. Application May 1s, 1931. serial No. 536,999 'z claims. (ci. 1er-152.5)

chemicals may be flowing. In order to control'` and maintain the flow conditions uniform, controllers of various' types are`availab1e but the device hereinafter `described andv for'. which a !6 patent is solicited is an improvement over any controller of which I am 4aware in kthat it takes f up less space, absorbs less head and accurate, dependable, simple in construction,` and in expensiveto manufacture. y l 1 Filtration plants, for example, comprising one or more units consisting of tanks containing beds of sand, stone, and the like through'which flows the water to be filtered, would deliverl filtered water at a rate depending on the net head on the filter. However this net head changes due generally to the increasing resistance offered the flow of water as the filtering medium becomes more and more clogged with sediment. As this loss of head increases obviously the rate of flow of the filtered water in the outlet or aiiluent side of the filter tends to become less and less. Changes in the net head may also occurdue to a. change in water level either on the filter or in the basin into which the filterv eilluent pipe discharges.

In order to compensate vfor vany change ln the head on the filter it has been the practice to provide an automatic controller in the system with the object of effecting a compensating gchange in the head losses in the connecting conduits so that the net head in the system is kept as near constant as possible, thus resulting in the. maintenance of a unform rate of iiow of the fluid. It is of great importance that such a device shall introduce losses of head only when necessary to reduce the flow and that, when the filter becomes clogged, there should be no loss due to the device. In this way not only are pumping costs 5() reduced but the length of theA run" of the filter is increased with resultng economies in attendance and consumption of water for washing filters. However, such valves of which I am aware which operate for this purpose are so con structed as to introduce a considerable loss of head through the formation of strong eddy currents. i

Therefore, it is an object of my inventionto provide a controller for automatically maintaining a uniform rate of flow of a fluid, so dee signed as to reduce to a minimum eddy currents which result in an appreciable loss of head.

A further `.object of my invention is to pro-- vide an automatic controller for filtration plants and the' like which is simple in construction 65. and effective in operation to maintain a uniform rate of flow as the head increases or decreases.

Other objects. of the invention will become more apparent by reading the accompanying description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing in which y .i Fig. 1 is a transverseicross-sectional viewA of I` the invention showing the valve in its fully open position;

4 Fig. 2 isa cross-sectionalview taken on line 75 II-II showing the valve in a semi-closed position; and l -f Fig. 3. is across-sectional view taken on line III-III Fig..1, illustrating the stream-line design of the supporting ribs for the operating chambers.

The body of the controller comprises detach-v ably connected casings 3 and 4 which taper to-` ward their free ends 5 and 6, which casings are connected to fluid conduits not shown. Disposed within the casings 3 and 4 is the valve structure 85 with operating chambers comprising three parts A, B and C. The parts A and B are mounted in fixed position within the casings 3 and 4 while the part C is slidably mounted in the part B. The spacebetween the casings and the operating chamber forms an annular fluid way of a gradu- Y ally diminishing area from the entrance of the controller to the central portion surrounding the intermediate section B, and then of a gradually increasing area to the exit of the valve. The fluid vway is, therefore, in the form of a Venturi tube. As a result of this design of the fluid way the fluid pressure adjacent the section B is considerably less than at either the inlet or the exit ends lof the valve in accordance with Bernoullis equation.v By properly shaping the fluid way, the pressure at the discharge end of the controller will be restored to very nearly the same magnitude as at the entrance so that the only head loss inherent in the controller is that due to friction.. f

The part A consists oi a conical shaped hollow casting with the apex 's' thereof-pointing toward the direction from which the fluid flows. The apex 7 has a centrally disposed opening 8 ccm- 110 municating through an inwardly tubular boss 9 with' the interior of the part A. The part A has several supporting ribs 10 and 11 for properly poflange 14 secured by screws 15 or in any other manner making a water tight connection to the ilange 12. A i n.

The outer side of the sylphon is closed by a relatively stiff wall or piston 16 to which is rig-f idly secured a plunger 17. The plunger 17 has a` flange 13 resting against the one side of the wall cated to theone side of the stiil wall or'piston 16.

f isralso provided with several openings 29 in the"v ;circumference thereof for permitting the uid Vin the nuidrway between casing 3 and the part Bl to` enter the partB andfunction against the o .wall or piston e r j. 1.' a From the foregoing description it'willbe4 apor piston 16 and a threaded section 19 which engages a nut 20 for iirmly clamping the plunger to the wall or piston 16."

The plunger 17.consists of two Shanks extending in opposite directions from the wall orpiston 16. The shank21 consists of a tubular or hollow member havinga rack 22 along one side thereof. Communicating openings 23are provided in the.4 shank 21 so that the pressure of the water in the entrance end-of the casing 4 may be communi- The other shank 24 of the plunger 17 extends in an opposite direction from the shank 21 and.

- 27, causing part C to shut offvthe uid way. To j The part Bfcomprises av cylindrical casing l is secured by means of a-nut 25'to the part C.

threadedly or otherwise secured at 26 tothe part A.l f This part carries a rigid diaphragm 27 having a vcentrally'disposed bearing orbushing 28 through which the shank 24 slides. 'Ihe part B parent that the wallor piston 16 is continually subjected on 'oppositesides to two pressures which will differ from veach other by an amount changing' only as the velocityof flow inthe iluid -:v

way changes and that any leakage from onetok the other which would tend to equalize the pressures on the two sides, isprevented or reduced to a point where it is of no consequence. The fluid way being, in effect, a Venturi tube, of fixed dimensions, there is a constant ratio between the velocities at the entrance and at the throat which surrounds part B resulting in a constant pressure difference for a given entrance velocity or, which is the same thing.' for a given rate of ilow. This Y vdifference in pressure is commonly called the Venturi head. -Advantage may be taken of this throughout the iiuid way and prevents the forfact to connect an ordinary differential U-tube to the casing at points near the entrance and opposite part B and by this means to measure the quantity of fluidpassing through the controller. .il

The part C is a valve mounted on the shank 24 of the plunger 17 which in turn is mounted in the two bed rings 23 and 9. It comprises a cylindrical portion 30 of lesser diameter than the interior diameter of the part B into which it fits loosely and a conical or lstream-lined shaped end portion 31, the nut 25 being also stream-lined in configuration to continue the stream-lined form of the portion 3l of the part C and. when fully open, of the outer surface of part B. L

This stream-line structure is maintained provided with one or more openings 32 so as to admit Water to the interior of the part C from the end 33 of the casing 3 so 'as` to equalize the pressure on both sides of the part C. `By adjusting the size of these openings a regulable dashpot is obtained and "hunting may be prevented 'but these openings may be omitted if sufcient clearance is provided betweenparts B and C,

as will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

It is apparent from the foregoing description l that anyv movement of the wall or piston 16 will cause a movement ofthe plunger 17 and consequently a movement of the pax'tC.` Part C now p acts as an obstruction introducedinto or withdrawn from the fluid way and the varying losses of head caused by the-varying-size of the'fob--k` structionV may be lmade to compensate foiany ,A changein head occurring.k velsewhrereinfl the system.y y Whenever therel is any flow throghwthe controller, the pressure on the side ofthe wall or piston'16 towards the diaphragm 27 will be vless j,- than 0n its Opposite side and there is a constant tendency for it to move towardthefdiaphragm maintain the position of part C so that a given desired quantity will flow through the controller there may be provided a weighted `lever system pinion 37 which engages-theY rack" 22 and at vits opposite end the shaft is prvidedwith, an arm p 38 upon which is slidably and adjustably mounted ja weight 39. The arm semay beprovided with i a scale, as common inthe art, and the' weight 39 'may be placed at various points'on' the scale so that it will balance the differentialpressure on does not change appreciably for any position of the valve C and whenever the differential pres- 'operated in a' vertical or any other position by proper change in the positioning of the weighted lever arm. 'A packing nut 40 may be provided to prevent the escape of water around the shaft 34.

The operation of the valve is as follows: .The casings 3 and 4 having been Vsecured together and attached, for example, to the eilluent of a filtration plant, the pressure of the Water in the inlet the wall or piston 16 resulting from various rates `v of flow through the controller.'A As the weight travels through only a small arc,v its moment about the shaft center remains practically constant, lthus the differential pressure on'the wall` or piston 16 which will be balanced by the weight los side of the casing 4 may be at a value depending upon the head in the filtration bed or tank. ThisI pressure will be exerted against the wall 16-forcing the same outwardly. Inasmuch as the crosssectional area of the fluid way within the casing 3 adjacent the openings 29 is less than that at the entrance to the casing 4, the pressure will be less, and this pressure will be exerted against the opposite side of the wall or piston-16. Ii no compensating means such, for example as the weighted lever 39 were provided, the greater pressure on the one side of the wall or piston would cause the part C of the valve to move to a position to almost close the exit opening 33 of the valve. The differential pressure which tends to move the piston will vary with a function of the velocity of the iiuid in the fluid way and by properly adjusting the weight 39 this differential pressure may be-balanced for any desired rate otilow and the lpart C maintained in such a position as to provide for the continuance of this rate of flow. Should the pressure or head fall it is desirable to enlarge automatically the discharge opening 33 so as to compensate for this loss of head and this will be accomplished automatically since any reductionin velocity in the fluid way results in a reduction in the diiferential pressure which will no longer balance the weight 39, the latter moving downward and thus causing a movement of the valve C to a position where the velocity in the fluid way will be restored. Similarly, if there is an increase in the head, the velocity increases, the diierential pressure overbalances the weight 39 which is raised, the valve C moves out into the fluid way, the head loss is increased and the velocity restored to the'desired value.

Inasmuch as the design of the outlet opening and the outer side of the part C is such as to prevent the formation of eddy currents and to offer a minimum of resistance to the now of the fluid, no loss of head occurs through the action o f the controller or its design.

No orifices, sudden enlargementaeddies, etc#v are involved in the operation of the controller and the drop in pressure inherent in a Venturi tubeV is recovered so far as practicable with stream-line flow maintained throughout. l

It will be appreciatedfrom the foregoing description that I have provided a controller which in its fundamental aspects comprises a Venturi tube having a throat annular in section surrounding a chamber separated into two isolated sections by a surface against which can be exerted4 the differential pressure resulting from the flow of a fluid in a fluid way possessing the characteristics of a Venturi tube, together with means or an opposing force for balancing that difference in pressure. Means are also included for automatically introducing a variable obstruction into the fluid conduit so as to maintain a uniform rate of ilow of the fluid therein.

Although the invention has been described speciflcally in connection with filtration systems, it is obvious that it may have application in many other arts. In addition modiiications of the invention may'occur to those skilled in the art, however, such modifications are contemplatd as come within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a controller of the character described, the combination with a casing of an internally concentric cylinder spaced therefrom and arranged with respect to each other to form a Venturi tube having a throat annular in section, said cylinder consisting of a i'lxed part and a movable part, the iixed part separated into two chambers by a movable member connected to the movable section by a plunger, whereby said movable section may be caused to operate when the diierence in pressure on opposite sides of the movable member changes.

2. A rate of ow controller comprising a casing having a cylindrical central portion and converging end portions, a valve body disposed concentrically within said casing and spaced therefrom to form a relatively small annular passageway along the cylindrical section of the casing and larger annular passageways adjacent the converging end portions of said casing, said valve body having al movable section capable of movement to alter the pressure conditions in said small annular passageway, and means connected to said movable member subjected to the pressure of the fluid in said small passageway and also subjected to the pressure in one of said large annular passageways, whereby when the pressure conditions in either passageway varies the movable section will be caused to operate. 3. A rate of flow controller comprisinga cylindrical casing, a valve body of cylindrical formA disposed concentrically within and spaced from said casing, said valve body having stream line end portions, one of which is ilxed in position and the other of which is movable, means within said valve body connected to said movable end portion, means for admitting fluid from between said valve body and casing to one side oi said first-mentioned means and means for admitting fluid from the casing adjacent the fixed end portion of the valve body to the other side of said first-mentioned means, whereby upon a variance in pressure conditions in the iluid at either of the points specified a change in the position occupied by said movable end portion will take place.

4. In a controller of the character described, the combination with a casing of a cylindrical valve body having stream-line end portions spaced from the casing and concentrically disposed with respect thereto to form a Venturi tube having a throat and mouth, one of said stream-line end portions being movable and theother being fixed, f

means within said valve body connected to said movable end portions, said means being subiected to pressure of the fluid in said throat andm mouthand means for compensating for the difference in pressure between the fluid in the throat and mouth of said Venturi tube, whereby when a difference in pressure occurs between the throat and mouth greater or less than the initial 125 diilerence in pressure the movable end portion will adjust itself so as to restore the initial difference in pressure.

5. In a controller of the character described, the combination of a valve body and a casing surrounding the same, the valve body and casing being so shaped and spaced from each other as to form a Venturi tube having a throat and a mouth, a movable element within the valve body, passageways in the valve bodytoI admit fluid pressure to' each side of said element, one of said passageways being open to the fluid in the throat of said Venturi tube-and the other of said passageways being open to the iiuid in the mouth oi said Venturi tube, means connected to said ele- 14,) ment for compensating for the dierence in uid pressure in said mouth and throat, and means connected to said element for compensating for any change in such difference in pressure, Where Y by the rate of flow of fluid through said throat i5 is maintained substantially constant.

In a rate of iiow controller, the combination of a casing and a valve body concentrically disposed therein and spa-ced therefrom to form annular huid way oi smaller cross-sectional than the cross-sectional area of the casing adja-l cent the ends of said valve body, whereby a fluid passing through said casing will have a higher' velocity in the smaller section of the casing than in the section adjacent the end of the valve body thus producing a' Venturi head, means within said valve body responsive to said Venturi head, a streamline movable member connected to said means and operative by a change in said Venturi head, and means connected to said means for initially balancing a predetermined Venturi head, whereby when said Venturi head varies the movable member will become adjusted to return the Venturi head to its initial value.

7. In a rate of tlow controller, the combination with a casing ot a valve body concentrically disposed with respect thereto and spaced therefrom to form a Venturi tube, said valve body having a cylindrical central portion and end portions of stream line contour, one end portion being fixed and the other end portion being movable, a movable partition in said cylindrical portion of the valve body connected to said movable end portion, a weighted lever system connected to said movable partition, a passageway in said cylindrical portion for admitting fluid from the throat of said Venturi tube to one side of said movable partition and a passageway in the fixed end portion-for` admitting fluid from the mouth of said Venturi tube, whereby a change in velocity of the uid in the mouth and throat of the Venturi tube will be eiective upon said movable partition to maintain the rate of 4ilow of the fluid constant through said throat ot the Venturi tube- 

